The Girl In The Fireplace
by ponylkb
Summary: For their first trip with Mickey, the Doctor, Rose and Peter end up on a space ship in century only to find 18th century Versailles on board, the time of Madame De Pompadour! To find out what's going on the Doctor must enter Versailles where he finds broken clocks that still make a ticking sound. But what has this all got to do with the girl in the fireplace?
1. Chapter 1

It was a clear and starry night. The majestic palace banished the darkness around it with it's brightly lit windows and flames running along the main path leading up to it. Terrified screams, however, suddenly shattered the peaceful night as inside the palace the numerous occupants ran for their lives. Dressed in elaborate Regency style clothing with glittering masquerade masks covering their faces they ran down the many corridors of the palace in terror. Whatever was pursuing them was close behind as their shadows could be seen on the panelled wall behind them whilst and odd ticking noise could be heard growing louder. In an large and beautiful bedroom just off the main corridor a man and woman were taking temporary shelter.

"We are under attack! There are creatures! I don't even think they're human! We cannot stop them!" The man, who had short brown hair and was dressed in a red velvet tailcoat, insisted and looked as if he wanted to try and flee but at the same time didn't want to leave the woman. The woman, dressed in a white and gold ball gown with her blond hair held up in a bejewelled clip, didn't move.

"The clock is broken he's coming" She told him, looking at the large gold clock on the mantelpiece above the room's main fireplace. The glass casing covering the clock's face was smashed. More screams rand out. "Did you hear what I said?" The man said more urgently as he marched over to her. The woman turned to him and took hold of his hands.

"Listen to me there is a man coming to Versailles, he has watched over me my whole life and he will not desert me tonight" She told him determinedly.

"What are you talking about? What man?" The man asked.

"The only man, save you, I have ever loved," She told him. "No don't look like that there's no time you have your duties I am your mistress go to your queen" She ordered him as she went back to the over to the fireplace. Crouching down so that she was level with the fire she seemed to be looking past it as if there was something beyond the flames.

"Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now you promised! The clock on the mantel is broken! It is time! Doctor! Doctor!" She shouted, not to the man, but to someone else not yet there.

Three thousand years later in another calm sky of stars was a large spaceship. It was hovering peacefully in the vastness of space in silence. That was until the faint whooshing noise of the Tardis landing filled the air.

As it finished materialising the Doctor stepped out, followed closely by Mickey, Rose and Peter, who shut the ship's door behind him.

"It's a spaceship! Brilliant I got a spaceship on my first go!" Mickey said excitedly as they looked around the vast and seemingly empty ship.

"Looks kinda abandoned? Anyone on board?" Peter asked.

"Na, nothing here well, nothing dangerous well, not that dangerous, you know what I'll just have a quick scan, in case there's anything dangerous" The Doctor said as he began fiddling with a control panel in front of him.

"So what's the date? How far have we gone?" Rose asked as she walked up to him.

"About three thousand years into your future give or take" The Doctor replied as he pulled a particular lever on the control panel which lit up the surrounding lights and opened up the metal shields of the roof above, leaving a large sheet of glass over it so that the sky above could be seen. It was a breathtaking view of stars and galaxies that were surrounding the ship. "Fifty first century Diamarg Cluster, your a long way from home Mickey, two an a half galaxies" He added as they all stared up at the view. Mickey then went over to a smaller window and stared out with a stunned expression on his face.

"Mickey Smith meet the universe" Rose told him as she stood looking over his shoulder with a grin as the Doctor looked around the rubbish that was littering the floor. near the Tardis. "See anything you like?" Rose asked Mickey as he got over his shock.

"It's so realistic" He replied as he glanced back at her for a moment before looking back as Rose turned and grinned at Peter, who smiled at Mickey's ecstatic reaction.

"Dear me there's been some cowboys in here" The Doctor said as he continued to look around. "There's a ton of repair work going on" He added as Rose, Mickey and Peter came over. "That's odd? Look at that, all the warp engines are going?" The Doctor continued, pointing at a screen with showed a 3D model of the ship which had a red pulse rippling over it. "At full capacity? There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe and we're not moving?" He told them as he looked around, sounding confused.

"So where's all the power going?" Peter asked.

"Where'd all the crew go?" Rose asked too.

"Good questions, nothing on this ship could take that much power and no life readings on board" The Doctor answered as he looked at the screens and control panels.

"Well we're in deep space they didn't just nip out for a quick fag" Rose said sarcastically.  
"Nope checked all the smoking pods" The Doctor replied, not catching her sarcasm.

"Can you smell that? Smells like someone's cooking" Peter suddenly asked as he sniffed the air. After a few moments everyone else picked up the smell too.

"Yeah Sunday roast definitely" Mickey added as the Doctor flicked a switch on the control panel, causing a door behind them all to slide open. "Now, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship" He said when they all saw what was in the room behind the door. On one of the walls was a beautifully decorated wooden and lit fireplace with a large golden clock on it's mantelpiece.

"Eighteenth century, French, nice mantle" The Doctor said as they walked up to it before he started scanning it with the Sonic Screwdriver. "Not a hologram not even a reproduction this is actually an eighteenth century French fireplace, double sided there's another room through there" He added as Rose looked out of a small window on the same wall as the fireplace and saw nothing but the starry space sky outside.  
"Can't be? That's the outer hull of the ship look" She told him. But something else had distracted the Doctor.

"Hello" He suddenly said cheerily.  
"Hello" A young girls voice replied.

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked as he looked past the fire. Crouching down besides him Peter and Mickey saw, much to their amazement, a young girl with long blond hair dressed in a white night gown kneeling down opposite them on the other side of the flames.

"Reinette" She replied.

"Reinette that's a lovely name, can you tell me where you are at the moment?" The Doctor asked as Rose also bend down and saw her.

"In my bedroom" She replied, sounding a little confused.  
"And where is your bedroom? Where do you live Reinette?" The Doctor asked.

"Paris of course" Reinette said, making it sound obvious.

"Paris right" The Doctor replied with a smile.

"Monsieur? What are you doing in my fireplace?" Reinette asked, sounding both confused and intrigued at the same time.

"Oh just a routine, fire check can you tell me what year it is?" The Doctor asked back.

"Of course I can, seventeen hundred and twenty seven" Reinette said brightly.

"Right lovely one of my favourites, August is rubbish though stay indoors, ok that's all for now thanks for you help and enjoy the rest of your fire night night" The Doctor replied as he and the others stood up.

"Good night Monsieur" Reinette's voice was heard to say as the Doctor turned to face Rose, Peter and Mickey.

"You said this was the fifty first century?" Mickey said, sounding confused.

"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe I think we've just found the hole, must be a spacial hyper time link" The Doctor replied as he considered what was going on.

"What's that?" Mickey asked, sounding as though it could be a bad thing.

"Don't know just made it up don't want to say magic door" The Doctor replied.

"And on the other side of the, magic door, is France in seventeen twenty seven?" Rose asked. The Doctor nodded.

"Well, she was speaking French, right period French too" He told them as he walked back over to the control room to take off his coat and setting it aside before coming back over to the fireplace.

"She was speaking English I heard her" Mickey insisted.

"That's the Tardis it translates for you" Peter explained. .

"Even French?" Mickey asked.

"Yes even French" Peter sighed. The Doctor seemed to be looking for something on the fireplace as he ran a hand underneath the mantelpiece.

"Got ya!" He suddenly exclaimed as he seemed to hit a hidden switch which caused the fireplace to rotate around, taking the Doctor with it.

"Doctor!" Rose called out as she, Peter and Mickey ran up to it. But it was too late as the opposite fireplace clicked into place. As the Doctor came to a halt he found himself in a richly decorated child's bedroom. Reinette herself was asleep in her bed in the dark peace of the night, interrupted only by a loud clicking of a nearby clock. The Doctor walked over to the window and peeped out. He saw a snowy eighteenth century Paris with Notre Dame Cathedral visible in the distance as the sounds of horses and carriages found it's way through the windows. As a particularly loud whinny from a horse sounded the Doctor heard a gasp from behind him and turned to see Reinette sitting up in bed looking fearfully at him.

"It's ok don't scream! It's me it's the fireplace man look" He told her as he lit a nearby candle with the Sonic. "We were talking just a moment ago I was in your fireplace" He reminded her.

"Monsieur, that was weeks ago that was months" She replied, still sounding a little spooked and confused.

"Really, oh" The Doctor said as he walked back over to the fireplace. "Must be a loose connection," He said as he bent over and tapped on the wood of the mantelpiece. "Need to get a man in" He added as he looked back at her.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Reinette asked, sounding scared. But the Doctor didn't answer her, instead he seemed very interested by the large golden clock on the mantelpiece. He noticed for the first time that it had a smashed face and was not working.

"Ok that's scary" He said quietly as he stood looking at it.

"Your scared of a broken clock?" Reinette asked.

"Just a bit scared yeah just a little tiny bit cause you see if this clock's broken and it's the only clock in the room," The Doctor began as he glanced around the room for a moment. "Then what's that?" He asked, indicating the ticking sound that was still making a noise.


	2. Chapter 2

The ticking sound, much louder than normal, wasn't coming from the broken clock but was rather coming from somewhere further into the room as both the Doctor and Reinette listened to it.

"Cause you see that's not a clock you can tell by the resonance, too big, six feet I'd say, size of a man" The Doctor said as he walked away from the clock a little.

"What is it?" Reinette asked fearfully, now alert and sitting up in her bed.

"Now let's think, if you were a thing that ticks and your hiding in someone's bedroom first thing you do, break the clock, nobody notices the sound of one clock ticking but two..." The Doctor began to say as he followed the sound. "...you might start to wonder if your really alone" He finished as he

glanced down at Reinette's bed. Cautiously he crept over to the side of it. "Stay on the bed right in the middle, don't put your hands or feet over the edge" He told her as he slowly bent down and looked underneath it. The ticking seemed to grow louder as the Doctor looked into the darkness. Scanning with the Sonic, however, something suddenly lashed out at him, knocking him onto his back. As he recovered and looked underneath the bed again he could now see a pair of period buckled shoes and stocked legs standing on the other side. Slowly, and keeping his gaze focused on the source of the ticking noise stood in front of him, the Doctor stood up. "Reinette don't look round" He whispered to the girl, who was looking at him and not seeing what was behind her. It was a man, or at least it had the appearance of one. Dressing the correct eighteenth century clothing it's face was hidden by a porcelain masquerade mask, which had a long grey wig attached to it

"You stay exactly where you are" The Doctor told Reinette as continued to start at the ticking creature before he looked back as Reinette, as if he was thinking about something. "Hold still let me look" He said to Reinette as he placed his hands on either side of her head. "You've been scanning her brain! What you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe!" He said angrily to the ticking creature.

"I don't understand it wants me?" Reinette asked him as she turned to face the ticking creature. "You want me?" She asked it as it cocked it's head rigidly to look at her.

"Not yet you are incomplete" It said in a very mechanical male voice.

"Incomplete? What does that mean? Incomplete?" The Doctor asked it. "If you can answer her you can answer me! What do you mean incomplete?" He asked again after the ticking creature failed to answer him. He then pointed the Sonic at it which seemed to threaten the ticking creature as it then

suddenly marched over to him and jerked it's arm up. Out of it's sleeve came a small blade with tiny gears and cogs attached to it.  
"Monsieur be careful!" Reinette called out.

"Just a nightmare Reinette don't worry about it, everyone has nightmares" The Doctor reassured her as he began dodging the swipes of the ticking creature's blade arm. "Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares don't you monster?" He continued as he backed into the fireplace, dodging again as the ticking creature swung again and got it's blade stuck in the wood of the mantelpiece.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette asked.

"Me! Ha!" The Doctor said as he hit the hidden switch on the fireplace, causing it to swivel around again, taking him and the ticking creature with it.

Rose, Peter and Mickey were still stood in front of the fireplace on the spaceship when they saw it swivel round again.

"Doctor!" Rose called they all saw him and the ticking creature. The Doctor ran from the fireplace as the robot continued to try and get free of the mantelpiece and over to a rack of large pieces of metal with a strap attached to them. Grabbing hold of one he came back over with it and flicked a switch as he aimed it at the ticking creature. Cold steam burst out of the front of the object which enveloped the ticking creature. Which it cleared they could all see it was covered in frost and was frozen sold.

"Excellent! Ice gun!" Mickey said excitedly.

"Fire extinguisher" The Doctor corrected as he threw it over to Peter, who caught it and examined it with curiosity.

"Where'd that thing come from?" He then asked.

"Here" The Doctor replied.

"So why's it dressed like that?" Mickey asked.

"Field trip to France some kind of basic camouflage protocol nice needlework shame about the face" The Doctor replied as he pulled off the ticking creatures mask. Underneath was a round clear glass head with golden clocks and mechanics visible inside it. "Oh you are beautiful!" The Doctor said excitedly as Rose, Peter and Mickey edged forward with curiosity. "No really you are! Your gorgeous! Look at that!" He added as he took his glasses out of his suit pocket and put them on.

"Space aged clockwork I love it! I've got chills! Listen seriously I mean this from the heart, and by the way count those, it would be a crime it would be an act of vandalism to dissemble you," He said as he peered closely at the clockwork man's head. "But that won't stop me" He added as he held up the Sonic. The clockwork man, however, still covered partially in frost, suddenly jerked it's arm into it's opposite wrist and, by some hidden software, transported away. The Doctor looked a little disappointed at his missed opportunity as he pocketed the Sonic. "Short range teleport can't have gone far could still be on board" He told Rose, Peter and Mickey.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Don't go looking for it!" The Doctor ordered, pointing a finger at them as he walked back over to the fireplace.  
"Where you going?" Peter asked.

"Back in a sec" The Doctor replied as he hit the hidden switch on the fireplace and once again travelled with it as it turned around, leaving the opposite one in it's place. Rose gave a sigh before she went over and took the remaining fire extinguisher from the rack on the wall.

"He said not to look for it" Mickey remained her as she and Peter exchanged a grin.

"Yeah he did" Rose replied, waiting to the penny to drop. After a few moments a grin appeared on Mickey's face.

"Now you're getting it" Peter chuckled as threw him the extinguisher he was holding and drew out his own gun before they all ran off.

The Doctor had arrived back in Reinette's room which was now bathed in morning sunlight. No

doubt time had skipped ahead again as the decoration of the room had changed greatly and was no longer filled with children's objects.

"Reinette? Just checking your ok" He called out as he absent mindedly plucked a few strings on a nearby harp. Then the sound of a throat being cleared made him look up. A young woman with pinned up blond hair in a wide pale blue and gold dress was stood in the centre of the room, staring at him curiously. "Oh, hello, er" He said as he pocketed his glasses. "I was just looking for Reinette? This is still her room isn't it? I've been away not sure how long" He rapidly explained as the woman stared at him with an almost bemused smile on her face.

"Reinette? Are you ready to leave?" A older woman's voice suddenly called from the corridor outside the room.

"Go to the carriage mother I will join you there" The woman standing in front of the Doctor replied. The sound of footsteps growing fainter as a door in the corridor clicked shut was heard as Reinette's mother left. Reinette's grin increasing as she saw the realisation hit the Doctor. "It is customary I think to only have an imaginary friend in one's childhood you are to be congratulated on your persistence" She told him.

"Reinette? Well, goodness how you've grown" The Doctor managed to say.

"And you have not appeared to have aged a single day that is tremendously impolite of you" She replied as she walked over to him.

"Right yes sorry, er, er, er, right listen lovely to catch up, er better be off hey, don't want your mother finding you with a strange man do we?" The Doctor nervously said.

"Strange?" Reinette questioned. "How could you be a stranger to me? I've known you since I was seven years old" She reminded him.

"Yeah I suppose you have I came the quick route" He replied with a small chuckle. But stopped as Reinette laid her hand gently against his cheek as she seemed to study him.

"Well you seem to be flesh and blood at any rate but this is absurd reason tells me you cannot be real" She said, withdrawing her hand.

"Oh, you don't want to listen to reason" The Doctor told her quietly as they stood facing each other.  
"Mademoiselle? Your mother grows impatient" A man's voice called from the corridor.

"A moment!" Reinette called back, sounding a little irritated.

"So many questions so little time" She told the Doctor quietly as she turned back to face him. A moment passed before she then pulled him into a passionate kiss as they ended up backing into the mantle of the fireplace.

"Mademoiselle Poisson!" The man's voice called again, sounding closer this time. After a few more moments Reinette broke the kiss, hastily turned away and hurried out, grabbing her bag from the nearby dresser as she did so and leaving the Doctor in a stunned state as he lent against the fireplace's mantelpiece. A few moments later a man, no doubt the person who'd called for Reinette to hurry up, walked into the room.

"Poisson?" The Doctor said to himself as the man froze at the sight of him. "Reinette Poisson? No! No! No! No! Wait! Reinette Poisson? Later Madame d'Étiolles? Later official mistress to Louis the fifteenth? Uncrowned queen of France!" The Doctor said excitedly, hurrying over to the man. "Actress artist musician dancer courtesan, fantastic gardener!" The Doctor carried on rambling excitedly as he went back over to the fireplace.

"Who the hell are you!?" The man managed to shout out as he stood in the doorway of the room, looking completely bewildered.

"I'm the Doctor and I just snogged Madam de Pompadour! Ha!" The Doctor cried out with a laugh as he flicked the hidden switch on the fireplace and travelled with it back into the spaceship.


	3. Chapter 3

As the fireplace came to halt on the fifty first century side the Doctor found himself alone. "Rose? Peter? Mickey?" He called out but got no response. "Every time! Every time! It's rule one don't wander off I tell them I do rule one! There could be anything on this ship!" He said to himself, sounding annoyed, as he walked from the fireplace and down the corridor just past the Tardis. A Large grey horse, complete with saddle and bridle, greeted him around the next corner he went around.

Elsewhere in the ship Mickey confidently strode down the corridor he was on. Enjoying the feel of the fire extinguisher he was carrying he even went into a forward roll before looking in all directions just like he'd seen done so many times in TV shows and films. A very strange camera up near the roof caught his attention as he saw it move in his direction. As he neared it he saw that the lens looked like an eye, complete with a pupil.  
"Are you looking at me? Huh? I don't see anyone else here?" He asked it toughly, having always wanted to use those lines.

"What are you doing?" A voice suddenly asked, coming from behind him. Letting out a small yell

he jump around in shock and tried to bring the gun up but stopped when he saw it was Peter, stood watching him sceptically.

"How did...?" He began to ask him.  
"In whatever fantasy was running through your head you failed to notice me following you for the past ten minutes" Peter replied as Mickey began to look embarrassed. "If I was that robot thing we're looking for you'd have probably been dead nine minutes ago" He added.

"Yeah, well, that thing ticked didn't it? So I would have heard it" Mickey tried to defend himself.  
"You still wouldn't have noticed" Peter told him just as Rose came across them.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"He sneaked up on me! Scared me to death!" Mickey immediately whined accusingly.

"Hey! It's not my fault! Your just twitchy" Peter retaliated, earning him a smack on the arm from Rose.

"Ow! What that for?" He whined, rubbing it a little.

"You do it deliberately and it's not nice" She warned him as she took notice of the odd camera.

"I'm not the one trying to act like James Bond" Peter muttered to himself. "Odd camera" He added, noticing it too as they watched it move closer to them on an extendible cable.

"There's an eye in there? That's a real eye" Mickey said as they watched it retract and look elsewhere.

"What's that?" Peter suddenly asked, hearing something. Walking over to a small hatch on the same wall as the camera he cautiously opened it up so that Rose and Mickey could hear it too. A steady thumping sound could be heard as they looked inside the hatch.

"What is that? What's that in the middle there? Looks like it's been wired in?" Mickey asked.

"It's a heart Mickey, a human heart" Rose replied gravely as they all saw the familiar looking organ powering something within the ship.

Wandering through the corridors aimlessly in the hope of coming across his companions the Doctor was growing bored.

"Rose? Peter?" He called out as the horse he'd found followed him. "Will you stop following me? I'm not your mother" He told it as he turned and faced it. He then noticed a door that didn't belong to the ship. "So this is where you came from hey horsey?" He asked as he opened it walked into the sudden brightness and warmth of sunlight. He found himself in a large manicured palace garden with men and woman enjoying the good weather on the distant lawns. The Doctor also saw Reinette, who was walking away from him arm in arm with another woman as they laughed about something.  
"Catherine you are too wicked!" She said before sensing something behind her and turning to face the direction of the Doctor, who quickly jumped behind a the large pot mounted on the wall in front of him, hiding him from view.

"Oh speaking of wicked I hear Madam de Chatero is ill and close to death" Catherine said as she and Reinette carried on walking.

"Yes, I am devastated" Reinette replied, turning back to her friend, as she tried to look sombre.

"Oh indeed?" Catherine inquired before they both began laughing at the idea."I myself find myself inconsolable" She added as they laughed a little more. "The king therefore will be requiring a new mistress, you love the king of course?" Catherine asked.

"He is the king and I love him with all my heart and I look forward to meeting him" Reinette replied before turning to look in the direction of the Doctor again, who ducked down in front of the pot again.

"Is something wrong my dear?" Catherine asked, seeing her friend's distraction.

"Not wrong no" Reinette replied as she turned away and carried on walking with Catherine as the Doctor peeped over the wall and watched them walk further away.

Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions" Catherine said, continued their conversation.

"Every woman in Paris shares them" Reinette replied with a little sigh as they carried on walking.

On the spaceship Rose, Peter and Mickey were walking through the corridors together, though more alert than before after finding the eye camera and the wired heart.

"Maybe it wasn't a real heart?" Mickey suggested, trying to reassure himself more than anything.

"Course it was a real heart" Rose told him as she took held her fire extinguisher tightly whilst Peter had his gun out and ready to fire.

"Is this like normal for you? Is this an average day?" Mickey asked as he held his extinguisher a little tighter.

"Life with the Doctor Mickey, no more average days" She replied as they rounded a corner, the eye cameras following their every move. They soon came to a large floor to ceiling window which gave a view of a small but richly decorated room.

"It's France again? We can see France?" Mickey said, sounding surprised, just as, inside the room, the doors leading out of it opened as a man walked in and over to the window followed by two others who looked like advisers.

"I think we're looking through a mirror" Peter guessed, putting away his gun, as they watched the front man standing in front of them and looked as if he was only seeing himself as he spoke to the other men.

"Blimey look at this guy, who does he think he is?" Mickey said, watching the richly dressed man seem to argue with the other men before sending them off, as they heard footsteps approach them.

"King of France" The Doctor answered as he walked up to them.

"Oh here's trouble! What you been up to?" Rose asked him.

"Oh this and that became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man..." He began to say as the horse that had been following him gave a whinny. "Oh and I met a horse" He added as the horse walked around the corner and stood next to them.

"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked.

"Mickey! What's pre-revolutionary France doing on a space ship? Get a little perspective" The Doctor told him before he turned back to the mirror. "See these? They're all over the place on ever deck, gateways to history but not just any old history, hers" He carried on as he pointed through the mirror where Reinette had just entered the room and curtsied at the King. "Time windows, deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman, a spaceship from the fifty first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth? Why?" The Doctor asked as they all watched Reinette and the King talk.  
"Who is she?" Peter asked.

"Jeanne Antoinette Poisson known to her friends as Reinette one of the most accomplishment woman whose ever lived" The Doctor told them.  
"So she got plans on being the queen then?" Rose asked.

"No he's already got a queen she's got plans on being his mistress though" The Doctor replied.

"Oh I get it! Camilla" Rose replied with a grin and a laugh.

"I think this is the night they met, the night of the Yule tree ball, in no time flat she'll get herself established as his official mistress with her own rooms in the palace even her own title Madam de Pompadour" The Doctor told them as they watched the King bow and say goodbye to Reinette before leaving her alone in the room.  
"Queen must have loved her" Rose said sarcastically as they watched Reinette facing them as she looked at her reflection.

"Oh she did they get on very well" The Doctor replied, again not picking up on her sarcasm.

"The king's wife and the king's girlfriend?" Mickey asked.  
"France, different planet" The Doctor replied with a shrug. Then he noticed the clock behind Reinette. It had a broken clock face.

Reinette was stood in front of the mirror when she suddenly saw another figure in the reflection.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked sharply, turning around to see what looked like a woman in a red dress and a powdered wig standing with her back to her on the opposite side of the room. "Show yourself!" Reinette ordered. The figure turned around quickly. But it wasn't a woman, it was one of the clockwork robots that she'd last seen hiding underneath her bed. Luckily the Doctor, Rose, Peter and Mickey had seen it too. The Doctor led the charge in as he pushed open the mirror which turned around on a central pivot.

"Hello Reinette hasn't time flow?" The Doctor said as he came through

"Fireplace man!" Reinette said in surprise as she saw him and the others. She then watched in amazement as Rose threw over her fire extinguisher to Peter as he quickly stepped forward and iced the clockwork woman in a cold vapour before it could even take a step closer.

"I've gotta get myself one these" He said with a grin. Suddenly a grinding sound came from the robot. "What's it doing?" He then asked, high grin fading, as they all watched it.

"Switching back on, melting the ice" The Doctor replied as he stepped forward and stood in front of it.

"And then what?" Mickey asked.

"Then it kills everyone in the room" The Doctor replied. The clockwork woman suddenly snatched up for his neck but missed as the Doctor jerked back. "Ok," He said a little nervously as everyone jumped a little. "Who are you? Identify yourself?" The Doctor ordered the clockwork woman as he backed off a little until he was stood level with Peter as Reinette, Rose and Mickey stood just behind. The clockwork woman didn't answer but instead cocked it's head to the side a little. "Order it to answer me?" The Doctor asked Reinette over his shoulder. She seemed a little surprised by this request.

"Why should it listen to me?" She asked him.

"I don't know? It did when you were a child?" The Doctor reminded her as he walked around the the back of her. "Let's see if you've still got it" He whispered in her ear.

"Answer his question, answer any and all questions put to you!" She ordered the clockwork woman as it stood facing them with it's arm still held out.


	4. Chapter 4

For a moment nothing happened, but then the clockwork woman slowly lowered it's hand.

"I am repair driod seven" It replied in a mechanical woman's voice.

"So what happened to the ship then? There was a lot of damage?" The Doctor asked it.

"Iron storm, eight two percent systems failure" The clockwork woman replied.  
"But that ship hasn't moved in over a year? What's taken you so long?" The Doctor asked, sounding confused.

"We did not have the parts" The clockwork woman replied. Mickey suddenly chuckled a little.

"Always comes back that doesn't it? The parts?" He said with a grin.

"What happened to the crew? Where are they?" The Doctor continued to question the clockwork woman.  
"We did not have the parts" It repeated.

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship where did they go?"" The Doctor asked.

"We did not have the parts" It repeated again.

"Fifty people don't just disappear where...?" The Doctor began to ask as he walked towards it a little. Then he trailed off as the realisation dawned on him. "Oh, you didn't have the parts so you use the crew" He said grimly.

"The crew?" Mickey asked, sounded confused.

"We found a camera with an eye in it, And there was a heart wired into machinery" Rose then told the Doctor.

"It's just doing what it was programmed to, repairing the ship anyway it can with whatever it can find, no one told it the crew weren't on the menu" The Doctor said quietly. "Peter? What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" The Doctor asked Peter.

"Someone cooking" He grimly replied.

"Flesh plus heat, barbecue" The Doctor said as Reinette paled and had to take a deep breath to steady herself. "But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows! That takes colossal energy! Why come here? You could have gone to your repair yard but instead you come to eighteenth century France? Why?" He then questioned the clockwork woman.

"One more part is required" It answered as it cocked it's head in Reinette's direction as the Doctor glanced at back at her.

"Then why haven't you taken it?" He asked quietly.

"She is incomplete" The clockwork woman replied.

"What? So that's the plan then? Keep opening more and more time windows? Scanning her brain to see if she'd done yet?" The Doctor asked.

"Why her?" Rose then asked it as every looked at her. "You've got all of history to choose from? Why specifically her?" She asked as they all looked back at the clockwork woman.

"We are the same" It replied.

"We are not the same! We are in no sense the same!" Reinette told it sharply.

"We are the same" It repeated.

"Get out of here! Get out of here this instant!" Reinette shouted, stepping forward a little.

"Reinette no..." The Doctor began to say. But it was too late as clockwork woman teleported out of the room. "It's back on the ship! Rose, Peter, Mickey, take Arthur get after it follow it don't approach it just watch what it does" The Doctor told his companions as he ran over to the open time window.

"Arthur?" Peter asked as he handed Rose back the fire extinguisher.

"Good name for a horse" The Doctor replied.

"No your not keeping the horse" Rose told him.

"I let you keep Mickey now go! Go! Go!" The Doctor said rapidly. When the three of them had gone through he shut the mirror before turning back to Reinette.

"Reinette your going to have to trust me I have to know what their looking for there's only one way I can do that" He told her as he walked over to her. "It won't hurt a bit" He reassured as he gently placed his hands on the side of her head. Reinette suddenly jumped a little and closed her eyes as the Doctor also closed his eyes.

"Fireplace man you are inside my mind?" Reinette said quietly.

"Oh dear Reinette you've had some cowboys in here" The Doctor replied quietly as he search for what the clockwork robots were after.

On the spaceship Rose, Peter and Mickey were on the hunt for the clockwork woman. But the topic of conversion had quickly turned elsewhere.

"So that Doctor hey?" Mickey asked after a while.

"What you taking about?" Rose asked.

"Well Madam de Pompadour, Sarah Jane Smith, Cleopatra" Mickey replied suggestively.

"Oh Cleopatra! He mentioned her once!" Rose snapped back.

"Yeah but he called her Cleo" Mickey pointed out gleefully.

"Will you two please stop! You've done nothing but bicker for the last ten minutes! We're suppose to be finding that robot!" Peter reminded them in a raised voice as he turned around to face them with a sigh.

"What's your problem?" Mickey asked.

"My problem is that there's a killer robot on the loose and you two are gossiping" Peter scoffed.

"So?" Mickey asked. Peter sighed.

"So can we please just focus a little?" He asked. It was Mickey's turn to scoff.

"You tell me off for acting like a spy or soldier whatever and then you go and do it!" He retaliated.

"That's because I actually am a trained soldier!" Peter told him.

"So your not interested in who the Doctor gets close to?" Rose asked him as a way of stopping them arguing and hopefully getting some back up.

"Why should I be? Anyway it won't last she's mortal and he isn't so it would never work" Peter replied with a shrug, not realising how relevant and upsetting his words were to her.

"What about you?" Mickey suddenly asked Peter.

"What about me what?" He asked with a sigh as he prepared for one of Mickey's tiring insults.

"Is there anyone you've, seen?" Mickey asked, looking for once generally curious.

"Mickey, I was at home for four days and in that time I had to learn how to changing into a mythic beast, fight a crazed tyrant and get to know my family, I think romance was a low priority" He replied sharply before softening a bit. "Although, if the right girl came along I wouldn't say no" He added with a slight grin as Mickey smiled to, causing Rose to roll her eyes at the two men.

"Shouldn't we be looking for this robot?" She asked them irritatedly as Peter and Mickey noticed they'd been stood talking for a while.

"All right though if we don't find it soon we're best to..." Peter began to say as they rounded the corner. But the was as far as he got. Walking around the corner he had been walking in front and had walked straight into the reach of the clockwork woman they'd been looking for. The ticking noise had gone unnoticed in the distraction of the argument which was why it took them by surprise. Peter choked for a moment as the clockwork woman grabbed his throat as, before he could even move his hand towards his gun, he felt the sharp prick of needle enter the side of his neck. Rose gave a small cry of concern as she and Mickey saw Peter crumple to the floor before more of the clockwork robots suddenly appeared all around them as they fumbled for their large and clumsy fire extinguishers in an attempt to ice the clockwork robots. But it was two late as a few moments later they too had been grabbed and injected, leaving all three of them unconscious on the cold metal floor.

In the French palace, unaware of his companions danger, the Doctor was still looking through

Reinette's mind.

"You are in my memories? You walk among them" Reinette said, sounding more intrigued than anything else.

"If there's anything you don't want me to see just imagine a door and close it I won't look" The Doctor told her. A moment later he looked as if he was struggling. "Oh actually there's a door just there" He said quietly as Reinette opened her eyes and watched him for a moment before shutting them again. "Oh actually several" He added.

"To walk among the memories of another living soul? Do you ever get use to this?" Reinette asked with a smile.  
"I don't make a habit of it" The Doctor replied.

"How can you resist?" Reinette asked, almost challengingly.

"What age are you?" The Doctor asked back.

"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation? How promising" Reinette replied as she opened her eyes and raised her eyebrows a little.

"Not my question there is your twenty three and for some reason that means your not old enough?" He told her quietly as Reinette suddenly shut her eyes again a shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry you might find old memories reawakening side affect" The Doctor explained as Reinette winced at what she was remembering.

"Oh such a lonely childhood" She said, sounding in discomfort.

"It'll pass stay with me" The Doctor reassured her.

"Oh Doctor, so lonely so very very alone" Reinette said, almost sounding sympathetically.

"What do you mean alone? You've never been alone on your life...?" The Doctor began to asked before realising something as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"When did you start calling me Doctor?" He asked her seriously.

"Such a lonely little boy, lonely then and lonelier now, how can you bear it?" Reinette asked as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"How did you do that?" The Doctor replied as he took his hands away and back off a little in shock.

"A door once opened may be stepped through in either direction" She told him. "Oh Doctor, my lonely Doctor, dance with me?" She suddenly asked him.

"I can't..." The Doctor began to say, not wanting to upset history.

"Dance with me" Reinette insisted.

"This is the night you dance with the king" The Doctor reminded her.

"Then first I shall make him jealous" Reinette replied.  
"I can't" The Doctor told her again.

"Doctor? Doctor who?" Reinette asked quietly as she studied him. "It's more than just a secret isn't it" She asked him.

"What did you see?" He asked her.

"That there comes a time Timelord when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance" She replied as she took him by the hand and led him out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose came around slowly and groggily. The first thing she noticed was the clockwork man stood in front of her with a few other standing around the room they were in.

"What? What's going on? Doctor!?" She called as she found herself strapped to a propped up padded table with metal wrist and ankle restraints.

"Rose?" Mickey's voice asked. Looking to her right she saw that he too was strapped to a table. "They're going to chop us up! Just like the crew! They're going to chop us up and stick us all over their stupid spaceship!" He said in a panic. A groaning sound suddenly distracted them as they looked to there left where Peter was on a third table just besides Rose.

"Oh, what is it about time travel and getting knocked out?" He he winced as he came too and took in his surroundings. "Where's the Doctor?" He asked groggily.

"You see?" Mickey told Rose, still in a panic. "Where is he? Hey? Where is the precious Doctor when we're going to get chopped up? He's been gone for flipping hours! That's where he is!" He snapped.

"Mickey please just don't start panicking! I don't want my dying moments to be you whining in my ear!" Peter told him sharply, making Mickey even more nervous.

"Can't you do something!?" He asked him.

"Like what!?" Peter questioned, indicating his restraints in an obvious manner.

"Turn into that wolf thing or whatever you do!" Mickey told him.

"What and slide further into the shackles and get even more trapped? It doesn't work like that!" Peter snapped back. They would have carried on arguing but stopped as the clockwork man walked up to the side of Rose.

"You are compatible" It said to her as Mickey and Peter watched nervously.  
"Well, you might wanna think about that you really really might because, us lot, we didn't come here alone oh no..." Rose began to say, trying to stall for time as Mickey struggled against the restraints whilst Peter tried to reach for his gun that was in it's sheath clipped to his belt. Frustratingly it was close enough for his fingers to brush against the top of it but too far down to pull out. "And trust me you wouldn't wanna mess with our designated driver" Rose carried on but stopped as the clockwork man lifted it's arm up so that it's hand was hovering over her where it's small blade with tiny gears and cogs shot out of it's sleeve. Taking a few moments and trying to force herself not to look at the blade Rose looked back up at the clockwork man. "Ever hear of the Darleks? Remember them? They had a name for our friend they had myths about him and a name they called him..." She began to say in an attempt to scare the clockwork man but was distracted off by a loud clanging sound and off tune singing.

"They called him the, the..." Rose tried to say as all the clockwork robot's heads turned to face the direction of the noise. The Doctor came stumbling around the nearest corner a moment later, singing and sounding very drunk. He was carrying a glass goblet of red wine and was wearing his tie around his head and small circular sunglasses.

"I could of spread my wings and done a, have you met the French? My god they know how to party!" He told his companions as he sang and half dance half staggered into the room.

"Oh look what the cat dragged in the oncoming storm!" Rose snapped at him.

"Oh you sound just like your mother" The Doctor told her.

"What have you been doing? Where have you been?" She asked him angrily.

"Well, among other things I think I may have invented the banana benedictory a couple of centuries early, do you know they hadn't even seen a banana before?" The Doctor rambled on as he walked up to the gap in between Rose and Peter. "Always take a banana to a party bananas are good" He carried on as he bent over a little to talk to them.

"Oh never mind the bananas I can smell your breath from here, how much have you had to drink?" Peter asked him as he wrinkled his nose at the strong smell.

"Just I bit just a wee bit" The Doctor replied as he then seemed to notice the clockwork robots for the first time.

"Oh brilliant! It's you! You are my favourite! You are!" He told the clockwork man standing next to Rose. "You're the best you know why? Cause your so thick! Your Mr thick thick thickity thick face from thick town, thickania! And so's your dad" He told it as he walked over to it."Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?" He asked Rose, Peter and Mickey. "A mileomiter! They wanna know how old she is! Know why? Cause this ship is thirty seven years old and they think when Reinette is thirty seven when she's complete," He said with air quotes. "Then her brain will be compatible" He explained as he began walked around the other clockwork robots.

"That's what you missing isn't it?" He said loudly into one of the clockwork robot's faces. "A command circuit! Your computer! Your ship needs a brain! And for some reason, god knows what, only the brain of Madam de Pompadour will do" He continued as he lent against the edge of Mickey's table.

"The brain is compatible" The clockwork man said.

"Compatible? You believe that you could probably do with a glass of wine" The Doctor told it as he walked back over to it. Then without warning he pulled of the clockwork man's mask, revealing the clear glass head and ticking cogs underneath, and poured the goblet of wine he'd been carrying all over it. There was a terrible grinding sound as the clogs inside the clockwork man's head came to a halt as the Doctor then placed it's mask back on. The clockwork man then seemed to droop over so that it faced the floor and remained there, much to the relief of Rose, Peter and Mickey. "Multi grain anti oil, moves it doesn't" The Doctor said with a grin. The other clockwork robots, however, weren't done as they began advancing on the Doctor. But they didn't get far as he ran over to a nearby control panel and pulled a lever down. Like the clockwork man all of the other clockwork robots drooped over and stopped ticking. "Right you three that's enough lying about time we got the rest of the ship turned off" The Doctor said as he held up the Sonic Screwdriver and aimed it at the tables. The wrist and ankle restraints all opened up, freeing Rose, Peter and Mickey.

"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked as he got back to his feet and went with the others over to where the Doctor was stood by the control panel.

"Yeap safe safe and thick just how I like them" The Doctor replied as lifted his sunglasses onto the top of his head. "Ok all the time windows are controlled from here I need to close them all down" He said as he started looking through his suit's pockets. "Suez plugs? Where are my Suez plugs? I had them a minute ago I was using them as castanets" He added.  
"Why don't they just open a time window to when she's thirty seven?" Rose asked.

"Damage to the server miracle they hit the right century bit of trial and error after that" The Doctor replied as he fiddled with the control panel. "The windows aren't closing? Why won't they close?" He asked to himself as he hit a problem. Then a small but sharp bell sounded.

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"I don't know incoming message?" The Doctor guessed.

"From who?" Mickey asked.

"Report from the field? One of them must still be out there with Reinette that's why I can't close the windows there's an override!" The Doctor explained as he continued to fiddle with the control panel. That was when the clockwork man stood back up and started ticking again, making them all jump. The clockwork man then produced a small tube from within it's fingers which released the multi grain anti oil the Doctor had poured onto it straight onto the Doctor's shoe. "That was a bit clever" He remarked, sounding a little worried as the lever on the control panel moved back on it's own which allowed the other clockwork robots to wake up. "Right many things about this are not good" The Doctor added as they all started looking in all directions as the clockwork robots closed in. Then a small bell started ringing repeatedly. "Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" The Doctor asked the clockwork man.

"She is complete it begins" It replied as it, followed by the others, transported away.

"What's happening?" Rose asked.  
"One of them must have found the right time window now it's time to sent in the troops and this time they're bringing back her head!" The Doctor replied gravely.

Night had fallen over France. Reinette was staring out of one of the palace's many windows, looking at the starry night sky. It was then that she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. Turning she saw a human shaped shadow coming towards the room and, out of habit, glanced at the large clock on the nearby table. The clock was undamaged and working. As she looked at it a little more closely she saw another figure in the reflection.

"Madam de Pompadour?" A young woman's voice suddenly sounded, making Reinette jump and turn around with a gasp. Rose was standing in the doorway, looking the same as she'd done to Reinette a few years ago, even down to the same odd clothing.

"Please don't scream or anything we haven't got a lot of much time" Rose said as calmly as she could.

After a few moments Rose had sat down facing Reinette on one room's soft armchairs. "I've come to warn you that they'll be here in five years" She told her.  
"Five years?" Reinette replied.  
"Sometime after your thirty seventh birthday, I er, I can't give you an exact date it's a bit random but they're coming it's going to happen, in a way for us it's already happening, I'm sorry it's hard to explain the Doctor does this better" Rose said, trying to find the right words.

"Then be exact and I shall be attentive" Reinette replied.

"There isn't time" Rose tried to explain.

"There are five years!" Reinette said a little sharply.  
"For you I haven't got five minutes" Rose told her.

"Then also be concise" Reinette asked as she sat down opposite her.

"Er there's a er a vessel, a ship, a sort of sky ship and it's full of, well you different bits of your life in different rooms all jumbled up, I told you it was complicated sorry" Rose said as she watched Reinette try to take it all in.

"There is a vessel in your world? Where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book so that he may step from one to the other without increase of age? While I, weary traveller must always take the slower path?" Reinette asked her after a moment.  
"He was right about you" Rose said quietly, seeing the woman's intelligence and and coping ability.

"So in five years these creature will return? What can be done?" Reinette asked determinedly.

"The Doctor says keep them talking, they're kind of programmed to respond to you now you won't be able to stop them but you might be able to delay them a bit" Rose told her.  
"Until?" Reinette asked hopefully.

"Until the Doctor can get there" Rose answered.

"He's coming then?" Reinette asked.

"He promises" Rose replied.  
"But he cannot make him promises in person?" Reinette asked, sounding a little saddened.  
"He'll be there when you need him that's what it's got to be" Rose said quietly.

"That's the way it always been the monsters and the Doctor, it seems you cannot have one without the other" Reinette said acceptingly.  
"Tell me about it" Rose said with a smile. "The thing is, you weren't supposed to have either, those creatures are messing with history none of this was ever supposed to happen to you" She added quietly.

"Supposed to happen? What does that mean? It happened child and I would not have it any other way! One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel!" Reinette said sharply as she stood up and turned her back on Rose. Rose was about to say something to her when the sound of running footsteps made them both look to the doorway.

"Rose! Rose!" Peter's voice called out as he appeared from at the doorway a moment later, looking worried and rushed. "We have to go now!" He told her, glancing at Reinette, who was trying to get use to the companions of the Doctor.


	6. Chapter 6

Following Peter, Rose reached a corridor which had a large tapestry hanging on the wall. The fabric then moved as Mickey appeared from behind it, with the spaceship slightly visible behind him.

"The time window when she's thirty seven, we've found it right under our noses" He told them just as Reinette ran after them. Curiously she looked beyond the tapestry and began to walk towards it.

"No you can't go in there the Doctor will go mad" Rose insisted as she saw her heading towards it. But it was too late as Reinette stepped into the ship. As Reinette slowly took in the strange and alien world she now found herself in Rose, Peter and Mickey could follow her in and stand a short distance away and watch.

"So this is his world?" Reinette enquired quietly as she looked around. Then, before anyone could answer, a high pitched scream was heard from elsewhere in the ship. "What was that?" Reinette asked again, sounding scared. Rose, Peter and Mickey looked to each other for a moment, wondering if they should answer her.

"The time window, the Doctor fixed it an audio link" Peter told Rose quietly, not wanting to upset Reinette further.

"Those screams? Is that my future?" Reinette's asked, having already guessed what was going on.

"Yeah I'm sorry" Rose replied quietly as Reinette nodded.

"Then I must take the slower path" She told them as she began to walk back to France. Then Reinette's voice was heard again.

"Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now you promised! The clock on the mantle is broken!" She said. But it wasn't coming from the Reinette standing in front of Rose, Peter and Mickey, it was coming from elsewhere in the ship.  
"That's my voice?" The Reinette standing in the corridor asked, sounding upset.

"We've got to go" Peter insisted to Rose as he and Mickey became more urgent about the little amount of time they had left.

"Give me a minute" Rose replied, not wanting to leave Reinette as she was. As Peter and Mickey ran off to the other time window. Rose was left alone with Reinette.

"You ok?" She asked her softly.

"No I'm very afraid, but you and both know don't we Rose? The Doctor is worth the monsters" Reinette replied as Rose nodded and watched as Reinette walked back through the tapestry and back into her time.

"Doctor! Doctor!" The future Reinette's voice sounded again, bringing Rose from her thoughts.

For Reinette five years had passed since she had entered the Doctor's world. Now the night she'd been both dreading and dreaming about had finally arrived. The palace was under attack from the clockwork robots. "Doctor!" Reinette called again into the fireplace in the hope that he would appear.

"We must go! No one is coming to help us!" The king, who was stood behind her, urged as the screams and ticking drew closer. As Reinette stood and turned from the fireplace she saw it was too late to make an escape. One of the clockwork men which had plagued her nightmares since she was a child was stood in the doorway.

"You are complete you will come" It ordered as two other clockwork men joined it.

In the main ballroom the terrified people of the French court were being herded into groups by the other clockwork robots. The chaotic scene was visible via a large mirror on the spaceship's flight deck.

"You found it then?" Rose asked as she came running in to where the Doctor, Peter and Mickey were all working feverishly to find a way through.

"They knew I was coming they've blocked it off" The Doctor replied as he ran from the mirror to the nearby control panel.

In France Reinette and the King were being forcibly escorted through the palace. "Where are we going?" Reinette snapped at the clockwork man gripping her arm. "The teleport has limited range we must have proximity to the time portal" It replied. "Your words mean nothing! You are nothing!" Reinette told it as they were march on. On the spaceship they still hadn't found a way through. "I don't get it? How come they got in there?" Rose asked. "They teleported you saw them as long as the ship and the portal form a link their short range teleports will do the trick" The Doctor replied as he fiddled with the control panel. "What about the Tardis?" Peter suggested. "We can't use the Tardis we're part of established events now" The Doctor said as he scanned various screens with the Sonic Screwdriver. "Can't we just smash through?" Mickey asked. "Hyper plates this side glass that side we'd need a truck" The Doctor said as he rushed about. "We don't have a truck!" Mickey said. "I know we don't have a truck!" The Doctor shouted back in his frustration. "Well we've got to try something" Rose said determinedly. "No smash the glass smash the time window there'd be no way back" The Doctor said. "Can everyone just calm down?" Reinette's voice suddenly sounded, causing them to look back at the time window. Reinette was now standing in the middle of the ballroom, looking very calm amongst the panicked people. "Please! Such a commotion such a distressing noise! Kindly remember that this is _Versailles! This is the royal court and we are French!" Reinette continued, quietening the crowd as they all looked to her. Reinette then turned to face the clockwork man who'd escorted her there. "I have made a decision and my decision is no I shall no be going with you today, I have seen your world and have no desire to set foot there again" She told it. "We do not require your feet" The clockwork man replied. Suddenly the two of the clockwork robots behind Reinette each took hold of one of her shoulders and forced her down onto her knees, causing a lot of gasps from the crowd as the clockwork robots held their sleeve blades in front of Reinette's neck. "You think I fear you?" Reinette said to the clockwork man as it walked up to her, holding it's blade out ready. "But I do not even fear you now you are merely the nightmare of my childhood the monster from under my bed and if my nightmare can return to plague me then rest assured so will yours" She continued determinedly. That was when a loud horse's whinny sounded, followed by the sound of galloping hooves. Both the people of the court and the clockwork robots began looking around for the source of the sound. Another whinny sounded. It was coming from the large mirror mounted on the wall. A second later a large grey horse, carrying none other than the Doctor, leapt through it, smashing the glass, and landed in the room. People scattered and screamed as the horse trotted around the ballroom and reared with another loud whinny before the Doctor dismounted. "Madam de Pompadour, you look younger every day" He told her.  
"What the hell is going on?" The King asked, looking as shocked as everyone else. "Oh, this is my lover the King of France" Reinette introduced, ignoring the blades of the __clockwork robots which were still held near her neck. "Yeah? Well I'm the Lord of Time and I'm here to fix the clock" The Doctor replied as he walked past him and up to Reinette and the clockwork robots before pulling off the clockwork man's mask, causing more gasps from the crowd. "Forget it" The Doctor told it as it lifted it's blade up to him. "It's over, for you and for me" He added as he glanced up at the smashed mirror, which now only had a brick wall behind it and no way into the spaceship. "Talk about seven years bad luck, try three thousand" He said as the clockwork man also looked at the remains of the mirror. Back on the spaceship Rose, Peter and Mickey were staring at the wall, where a few moments ago, held the time window into the ball room. "What happened? Where did the time window go? How's he going to get back?" Mickey asked, sounding panicked. Rose and Peter didn't answer but instead stood solemnly, looking at the fractured time window. In the ballroom the clockwork robots were franticly trying to transport themselves back onto the ship as they continuously jabbed their wrists with their opposite hand. "The link with the ship is broken, no way back, you don't have the parts" The Doctor told the clockwork man. "How many ticks left in that clockwork heart? A day? A hour? it's over accept that! I'm not winding you up" He told it quietly. The ticking coming from the clockwork man slowed down as the mechanisms inside it's head came to a halt. The other clockwork robots were doing the same as one by one they drooped over and fell still, one even falling to the floor with a loud clatter. "Are you all right?" The Doctor asked as he helped Reinette to her feet.  
"What's happened to them?" She asked. "They've stopped they have no purpose now" The Doctor replied. _


	7. Chapter 7

Hours had passed since Rose, Peter and Mickey had last seen the Doctor and all they could was wait anxiously for his return.

"We can't fly the Tardis without him, how's he going to get back?" Mickey asked quietly, voicing everyone's worries. Peter shook his head, unable to answer as he sat on the floor and lent against the Tardis whilst Rose looked through one of the windows at the stars, hoping that wherever the Doctor was, he would be able to make it back.

the Doctor was also staring at the stars, although they were three thousand years younger than the ones visible from the spaceship. It was then that Reinette joined him.

"You know all their names don't you?" She asked as he turned to face her. "I saw that in your mind the name of every star" She added as she passed him one of two goblets of wine she'd been carrying.

"Well what's in a name? Names are just titles, titles don't tell you anything" He replied with a small smile.  
"Like the Doctor?" Reinette asked.

"Like Madam de Pompadour?" The Doctor asked back as he took a sip of wine as Reinette laughed a little.

"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer just as you have I think" She said quietly as she gazed out of the window.

"From time to time" The Doctor replied.

"In saving me you trapped yourself did you know that would happen?" Reinette asked.

"Um pretty much" The Doctor replied casually.

"Yet still you came?" Reinette said.

"Yeah I did didn't I?" He replied, sounding like he'd only just thought about it.

"There were many doors between my world and yours can you not use one of the others?" Reinette asked.

"When the mirror broke the shock would have severed all the links with the ship there'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here I'm afraid, wherever there was a time window" He told her. "I'll, I'll pay for any damage" He added quickly, causing Reinette to chuckle again. "Er that's a thought I'm going to need money I'm always a bit vague about money where do you get money?" The Doctor asked, as Reinette watched with a grin.

"So here you are? My lonely angel stuck on the slow path with me" She said.

"Yeap the slow path, here's to the slow path" The Doctor replied as they toasted to it with their goblets.

"It's a pity I think I would have enjoyed the slow path" Reinette said.

"Well I'm not going anywhere" The Doctor told her.

"Oh aren't you?" Reinette seemed to tell him, rather than asking as she set down her goblet. "Take my hand" She said, holding it out. The Doctor set down his goblet and took hold of it as she led him out of the room and through the palace.

They soon came to one of the palace's bedrooms where there was one very familiar feature. "It's not a copy it's the original I had it moved here and is exact in every detail" Reinette said as they stood looking at the fireplace that the Doctor had used on his first visit to Reinette.

"The fireplace? The fireplace from your old bedroom?" The Doctor said quietly as he walked over to it with Reinette following him. "When did you do this?" He asked her.

"Many years ago in the hope that a door once opened may someday open again one never knows when one needs one's Doctor" She replied as she stood next to him. "It appears undamaged? Do you think it will still work?" She asked.

"You broke the bond with ship when you moved it which means it was offline when the mirror broke that's what saved it" The Doctor told her as he then seemed to realise something. "But, the link is basically physical and is still physically here" He said quietly as he stood right in front of it.

"Which might just mean, if I'm lucky if I'm very very very very lucky" He said as he tapped along the mantelpiece. "Ha!" He cried as he found a hollow bit in the wood.  
"What?" Reinette asked.

"Loose connection! Need to get a man in" The Doctor replied as he scanned it with the Sonic Screwdriver and gave the fireplace a thump with his hand, causing it to groan a little as it came back on as he stood up. "Wish me luck" He said as he stood ready to flick the switch.

"No..." Reinette began to say, not wanting him to go, but held her words back, causing the Doctor's grin to drop as he disappeared with one side of the fireplace. Quickly he crouched down and looked through the fireplace.

"Madam de Pompadour?" He called as Reinette came into view and she crouched down on the other side. "Still wanna see those stars?" He asked her with a grin.  
"More than anything" Reinette replied.

"Give me two minutes pack a bag" He told her.

"Am I going somewhere?" She asked.

"Go to the window pick a star any star" The Doctor replied. They both then ran off at the same moment.

Reinette had run back to the window where she had talked with the Doctor and gazed out at the night sky. Meanwhile the Doctor had reunited with his much relieved companions.

"How long did you wait?" He asked as Rose gave him a long hug.

"Five and and a half hours!" Rose told him.

"Great! Always wait five and half hours" He said as he then greeted Peter and Mickey.

"Where have you been?" Peter asked.  
"Explain later, into the Tardis won't be a sec" The Doctor replied as he then turned back and made for the fireplace again. As Peter and Mickey stepped back into the Tardis Rose lingered for a moment as she watched the Doctor look though the fireplace and called for Reinette before going back into France.

As the Doctor arrived back in the bedroom, he immediately could tell that more time had passed on this side of the fireplace. The room was now not only lit by the candles, but by the cold grey light of a cloudy day. "Reinette?" He called as he walked through the eerily quiet palace. Coming into one of the drawing rooms he finally found someone, the King of France no less. "Oh, hello" The Doctor greeted.

"You just missed her she'll be in Paris by six" The king replied as he glanced at him. He then looked at him more closely as he walked over a little, looking very curious. Good lord! She was right she said you've never looked a day older, so many years since I saw you last but not a day of it on your face?" He said. The King then walked over to a desk and pulled out a letter. "She spoke of you many times often wished you would visit again you know how women are" He said, handing the letter over to the Doctor, who was growing curious and worried at the same time. The King then walked back over to the window as the Doctor examined the letter. "And there she goes leaving Versailles for the last time" The King said quietly as the Doctor joined him and saw, with great sadness, a horse drawn hearse with a coffin inside, walking out of the palace gates as the rain steadily poured down. "Only forty three when she died too young too young, illness took her in the end she always did work to hard, what does she say?" The King asked, glancing at the letter that was in the Doctor's hands. The Doctor didn't reply but instead pocketed the letter. "Of course, quite right" The King added as the Doctor then silently walked back to the fireplace.

Shutting the door of the Tardis he walked up to the console where Rose, Peter and Mickey were all stood, knowing that something bad had happened by the Doctor's sombre expression.

"Why her? Why did they think they could repair the ship with the head of Madam de Pompadour?" Peter asked tentatively.

"We'll probably never know there's massive damage in the computer memory database probably got confused" The Doctor replied, choosing to start up the ship in order to hide his grief. "The Tardis can close down the time windows now the droids have gone should stop is causing any more trouble" He said, focusing on the controls rather than his companions, who were all watching him sympathetically.

"You all right?" Rose asked gently.

"I'm always all right" He replied, giving a small smile. They could tell he wasn't, but didn't pry any further.

"Come on Mickey we'll show you the rest of the ship" Peter said quietly, knowing the Doctor wanted to be alone for a while as he, Mickey and Rose left the room. Once they were gone the Doctor pulled out Reinette's letter and opened it which read:

'My dear Doctor,

The path has never seemed more slow yet I fear I am nearing it's end. Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again, but I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head and know that all things are possible. Hurry though my love, my days grow shorter now and I am so very weak.

Godspeed my lonely angel.

Reinette

The Doctor folded the letter carefully and placed it back into his suit pocket as he looked at the Tardis's screen where he could see a image of the fireplace outside. Pressing a button he turned the fire off, leaving the fireplace dark and empty before launching the Tardis.

As the Tardis began disappearing a portrait of Madam de Pompadour came back into view from where it had been hidden behind the Tardis. The reason for the painting and the reason why the robots had gone after her in the first place was that, unknown to the Doctor and the others, the ship they were one was called the SS Madam de Pompadour.


End file.
